Above all—beyond the the masterful juxtaposition of ideas, situations, and structures that encompass our characters, beyond the implementation of the Tapscott score, which reinforces the jazz ingrained into the montage, and beyond the sediment of a time-laden, lived in heart and soul that sits at the bottom of each and every performance in this film—Clark knows where to place the camera. It’s as simple as that. And not only this, but every cut reinforces this truth. On a shot-by-shot basis, the political urgency is delivered to this audience with such clarity because Clark KNOWS WHERE TO PUT THE CAMERA. Even when it moves, it’s because the setup was right to begin with, allowing each and every frame and re-frame to be as effective as it can be. This may sound simple, but it’s not. And I want to be clear, not every great director has this skill. It’s the same skill that Mambéty has, that Sembene has, that Reichardt has, that Ozu has, that Mizoguchi has, so on and so forth. I have a feel that Passing Through may change my life.
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